Because of Fate
by KwirkyWinter
Summary: During the Battle of Manhattan, Tony was severely injured. Steve's blaming himself and can't see past his guilt. Then a baby is found in the lobby of Stark Tower...how hard can it be for a team of superheroes to raise a kid? Stony, Superfamily, Clintasha, Rainbows, and Sunshine.
1. Prologue

**Just a note that this steals some ideas from the X-men universe, but you don't have to watch the movies to enjoy this fic. I do not own Marvel, Fox, or Paramount. Not to mention Disney. If I _did_ own any of those companies, I'd buy a golden toilet just because. **

Chaos. It was everywhere, raging in the fight around him, burning bright in the fire that claimed the streets. Steve Rogers stood tall, his movements tense as he cautiously moved forward, head turning as he searched for hidden enemies. It was quiet, at least where he was. A part of him wanted to sit down and stay, to block out the sounds of the battle and destruction around him. It would be so easy to turn his back to the fight, to pretend none of this had ever happened. Peace had always been longed for, but never achieved. Peace. What a silly thought.

When Thor tapped him, a signal to move forward, it took all of Steve's willpower to take that heavy, dragging step. Sooner or later, the fighting would find them, and he knew that there was no way in hell he was ready. But Steve was a soldier at heart, and a soldier was defined by three things: duty, honor, and country. And somewhere deep inside, he knew that he was meant to protect and serve. To help the helpless. To shield civilians against the _real_ violence. To keep them from the Chitauri. Walking became marginally easier.

It was almost _too_ quiet on the usually busy Manhattan street. As much as Steve and Thor were ready for action, there seemed to be nothing hiding in the shadows, nothing ominously watching from around the corners. Steve should've known better. The first Chitauri caught him almost completely by surprise, and the yell from Thor told him that the feeling was mutual. After that first one, they never stopped coming. He and Thor kept throwing weapons, ducking, weaving, and killing, but more seemed to come and take the place of the dead. They were drowning in mutant apocalypse aliens.

Through all the slashing and dodging, the kicking and hitting, and general action, Steve paid careful attention to his communication link. As leader of the team, he was responsible if anyone had problems or solutions. But the fight was too draining, and he felt himself listen to his teammates less had less, at times hearing only a word here, a scattered phrase there.

A few words made their way into his ear, but most didn't.

_"Must close portal...too many..."_ Clint.

_"Can do it..." _Natasha.

"Do it!" Steve barked quickly.

_"Wait...nuke...know where to put it..." _Tony. _Tony._

Steve seized up, trying in vain to process what he had just heard. The Captain wanted to say so many things, to beg, to plead, to stop Tony from doing this. To say_ I love you_. Because he did love the man. He didn't know why, but he was drawn to the short, sassy genius, who never ran out of wisecracks. He adored the way Tony spoke, quickly, but at the same time rambling, too. There was _something_ that he felt when he looked at the CEO, but it was so hard to put into words. But at the same time, Steve knew that he would never stand a chance with the stick straight playboy. There were too many pretty, no, gorgeous girls who wanted that handsome, stylish billionaire. And that same billionaire would never even look in his direction. Heck, he didn't even _swing_ in his direction. Besides, they were supposed to hate each other. He was a seasoned soldier, and knew a lost cause when he saw one.

Steve opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Nothing except for a small, strangled, "Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?"

He didn't have the courage to say anything else.

There was no response.

For Captain America, the world was silent as the small bright red and gold figure of Iron Man zoomed quickly toward the black hole in the sky. Bullets were oddly muffled as Tony Stark pulled himself and the nuke into a vertical ascent, heading straight for unquestionable death. And then he was gone, gone into the unknown, gone where Steve would never see his merry brown eyes again.

Everyone stared at Tony when he went, all fighting forgotten, every movement robotic. There was nothing to do but hope, hope that the Man of Iron would come back. For what felt like the longest time, nothing happened. Then slowly, suddenly, the Chitauri stopped and fell. The deed was done. The civilians had been saved. They had won. But where was Iron Man?

Nothing. There was nothing. No matter how much the Avengers hoped, or stared at the wormhole, nothing fell out. Nothing happened. And for the longest time, Steve glared at the gaping hole in the otherwise beautifully cerulean sky, wishing for a familiar glimpse of red and gold armor, for the sight of a tiny metal man soaring from outer space, the conquering hero.

A minute passed.

Then five.

_He's not coming back_, the Captain realized with a heavy heart. He knew what he had to do as a leader. And the next sentence that he uttered was the hardest thing he had ever done. Tougher than joining the army, or fighting in the war. Even more undoable than crashing a plane into the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

"Close it." He said with a dooming finality.

And in the sky Steve could see the portal shrinking, locking away Tony forever.

Just before the dark hole disappeared from view, everybody could see a little human-like figure fall rapidly from the heavens. Steve gasped, and broke into a smile.

"Son of a gun!"

Ecstasy soon evolved into horror as he realized that Iron Man was not slowing down. Both Thor and Hulk leaped for Tony, but the man was falling too quickly. Steve looked again, and realized that the armor was heading straight at him. Quickly, he ran to slow the fall, to catch Tony and quite possibly save his life. But just before he could grab on to a leg or arm, Stark crashed to the ground and laid there, immobile, broken.

"No...no...no..."Steve murmured as the rest of the team gathered around the lifeless man. He ripped off the faceplate of the Iron Man suit, but the other man didn't even stir.

Suddenly, the Hulk gave a ferocious roar, causing everyone to jump and Tony's eyes to fly open. It was the most beautiful thing that Captain America had ever seen.

"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" Tony gasped.

"We won." Steve's voice was hollow, yet flooded with relief.

"Awesome." Tony started to push himself up from the ground.

"Wait. Don't move. You might-" Natasha was abruptly cut off by the man lying on the floor.

"Actually," Tony said, his voice filled with horror, "I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs...I can't feel my legs."

"Paralyze yourself." The super spy finished lamely.

"This is all my fault." Steve muttered, " I could've stopped this. I could've caught you. I was so close...if only I had been a bit faster, you wouldn't be like this now. I'm a failure. I can't-I-I'm dangerous. I cannot be on this team anymore." Guilty and broken, Steve started to walk away, leaving the man whom he loved and the rest of the team, whom he trusted, behind.

"No, Steve, please, don't go. None of this is your fault. I..." If Steve looked back, he would've seen that Tony looked equally as broken, lying pathetically on the ground, unable to move forever, mourning the loss of a friend, or someone who was more than that.

But Steve didn't.

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**Loved it? Hated it? Please tell me what you think and any suggestions you might have in general! All reviews are appreciated. A beta is also much needed. Please PM me if you're interested! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter One

**This is not an update, this is a repost of Chapter Two due to several changes I have made. Thanks for your patience! (The next chapter will be posted soon.)**

**On the other hand, all the feedback was great! Thanks for reading, peoples! **

**This chapter contains some (?) Bruce/Tony, but this _is_ a Stony fic, so...don't get too agitated, _por favor_.**

**Oh, and one last thing. Any betas out there? I'm really desperate here...**

** Okay, anyways, enjoy!**

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_**Chapter Two**_

_Four Months Later_

_1:57 AM_

Bruce Banner was in the process of orchestrating the explosion of several highly dangerous chemicals when he heard it. The now-familiar sound of breaking glass. For a month now, every night had been filled with sudden crashes and deafening shattering sounds that broke the silence of the night like an unexpected gunshot, ripping through the air and echoing, echoing, echoing. Sometimes it was just a near silent tinkle, a cup or a plate. Or a mild crack, as if the intended object had not been destroyed. But usually it was gunshots, ringing out loud and too clear in the still Tower.

It was Tony, it had to be Tony. There was no one in the building to talk with Bruce, much less smash glass at midnight. After the battle, the Avengers, a formidable team when they were together, had just fallen apart. And no one was strong enough to put them back together. Steve had been the first to go, throwing away Captain America in a fit of guilt, maddened by his failure to save Iron Man. The others had gone with Tony to the Tower, each not staying long. A week after the team had settled in, Thor declared his need to check up on things in Asgard and had disappeared in a flash of light. Clint and Natasha followed soon after, having to take on a new mission somewhere in Europe. Superspies never got vacations. No one had come back since. It was just a hermit and an alcoholic, sharing a huge building in Midtown Manhattan. No contact whatsoever. And the rest of the Avengers? It was like they never had existed.

It couldn't have been loneliness that had driven Tony away from the world. The man had endured years and years of being ignored, without a soul to keep him company. Perhaps the loss of the team hit the playboy harder than Bruce expected. It definitely was the legs, too, Iron Man had never been the same without them. But Tony had a way of bouncing back, no matter what the issue. Why was he so stuck _now_? The part-time rage monster slowly cleaned up his lab, mulling over the question. It was sad, Bruce thought, that he had never even _cared_ about why his upstairs neighbor was destroying glass in the dead of night. Even _they_ had fallen out of friendship, becoming complete strangers who once might have met a hazy somewhere long ago.

No, they weren't really friends. They were hardly more than acquaintances, two people brought together by the most unusual of circumstances, an alien invasion, a worldwide crisis. Bruce and Tony had been friendly, though. Their love of science had created a potential friendship for them, and it was their choice if they wanted strengthen that bond. But the pair of scientists hadn't had enough time before the Battle. Before everything, the Avengers included, fell apart. And now there was no one. No one to be there in times of need or sorrow. No one to keep you company when the world was still, like before a storm. No one to keep the demons that constantly haunted you at bay. There were no enemies, but there also were no friends. There was no one to help Tony. No one, Bruce decided, but himself. Everyone needed _someone_ to care for them. The part-time Hulk knew that all too well.

CRASH. A nasty sound came from somewhere above the ceiling, and Bruce winced. Things he had never thought of before swirled around in his head, worrying him. The scientist hurried to the elevator and jabbed a button, waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive. After what seemed like several decades, the smooth steel doors glided open, and Bruce rushed in. Why had he taken so long to think about Tony? He'd heard those sounds millions of times, enduring countless hours of noise. What could have possibly caused him to wake up so suddenly and so late? Could he have forgotten? Forgotten about the team, the almost-friendship, the promise to be there when anyone was in trouble? How could the Hulk call himself a superhero when Bruce was incapable of saving his teammate?

The rest of the ride was spent in silence and unspeakable guilt until the elevator doors slid ajar with a _ping_. Hesitantly, the only occupants stepped out into the dark hall and quietly started walking. Tony's floor was rather...stark, no pun intended. The walls were clean but bare, and there was no furniture. A long line of white doors stretched out, the very last ones hidden in shadow. The smashing had stopped, but Bruce could hear shouting further down. He wondered what the other man could be saying. What had caused him so much pain? Several feet down, the noise had become clearer. Horrified, Bruce realized it had not been shouting but _ sobbing_, loud gut-wrenching screams, full of anguish and despair. _Tony, what has the world done to you?_ He closed his eyes. Sure, Stark had been horrible, but was this the fate that awaited a hero?

The cries died off, and Banner found himself slowing and stopping in front of a door. It was white, smooth. The handle was dusty. No one had gone in or come out in a long time. Three and a half months, to be exact.

"Tony?" Bruce knocked once. There was no reply.

"Tony, is it okay if...if I come in?" Nothing.

"I'm going to open this door, alright?" It was stupid, Bruce knew, to ask permission to enter when Tony was inside, so lost and broken. But it would feel far too strange for him to not announce his presence before barging into a virtual stranger's bedroom.

The scientist twisted the knob, and the door creaked open, hinges rusty from lack of use. Surprisingly, it was not locked. The man gave it a push, and then he could see inside.

It was huge, a cavern of shimmering mountains illuminated by moonlight. But even through the unlikely beauty, the place was ravaged. The air reeked of booze. Piles and piles of shattered glass covered the room, completely hiding the floor. Splintered wood and wrecked projects were also in the mix, ruining the rainbow of glass and creating a sort of hopeless mood. A TV lay twisted on the ground. Forks and knives were strewn about, glinting dully. The walls, once a beautiful paint job, had been scarred by a plethora of scratches, the blue hue it was originally almost completely eradicated. Aside from the sea of debris, the room was bare. Not a stick of furniture remained, every last piece a victim of Tony's rage.

Iron Man sat in the middle of the chaos. His body slumped in the hospital-issued wheelchair, hand loosely grasping an empty bottle of scotch. The man looked dead, all hope and willpower gone from him. Beaten and depressed, Tony looked as if he had gone up against his past and his present in a fight and just gave up, all determination gone. A strong, brave hero, knocked down by an army of invisible foes.

"_Tony._" Bruce was quiet, afraid to wake the guy up.

"Tony, it's me, Bruce." But Bruce was even more afraid of _not_ waking Stark up.

"We used to know each other."

"I think that we were friends, almost." The radiation specialist bowed his head.

"You know, we could've been." He started to walk, glass and wood crunching under his shoes.

"I think we still can be."

"Let me help you, Tony." This conversation was eerily one-sided.

"Even if you thought that there was no one, I'm here now."

"I'll help you...get better." God, he was awful at this _shrink_ thing.

"I'm not that kind of doctor, but...but...I-"

"I know how it feels, Tony. I've been here before." Bruce stopped in front of the wheelchair and took a breath, unsure of his next words.

"Just trust me, T-"

Tony's head snapped up. Bruce could see anger but so much sorrow on the other man's face, clearly showing in his hollow eyes. Then Stark opened his mouth and uttered two words.

"_Do_ _you?_" Iron Man snarled, looking up at Bruce for the first time.

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**Again, thanks for reading! **

**Sorry about that cliffhanger and the lack of Stony...things will be picking up in the next few chapters, which hopefully won't be so late!**

**For the next chapter, would you prefer for Steve to be living in D.C. or Brooklyn? I'm trying to get people's opinions here, and the more the better!**

**All feedback in any form is appreciated! **


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